CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will spend $76.3 million on security cameras in its buildings.

CPS made the announcement Wednesday stating the investment is part of its “comprehensive safety initiatives.” Security cameras will be added and upgraded across 331 elementary and high schools.

Eli Whitney Elementary School was among the first to receive new cameras in December as a part of the three-year plan.

Phase One will see a $13.5 million investment spread across 63 schools. Fifty-eight of those are elementary and five are high schools. That phase should wrap-up over the summer.

Phase Two will be an investment of more than $30 million, covering 135 schools, 120 of which are elementary and 15 at secondary level. This phase will run from September 2023 through August 2024.

The final phase will be the priciest at almost $32 million, 133 schools are earmarked for improvements, 122 are elementary and 11 are high schools. This phase will start in September 2024 and wrap up in August 2025.

Some schools already have up-to-date camera systems so they are not included in these numbers.

Those that are will be prioritized based on a scoring model that factors in things like current condition of cameras, the number of safety incidents taking place at the school and the number of criminal incidents happening nearby.

Once they’re installed or updated, there will be on-site access to the cameras, but they’ll also be visible to CPS’ central security team, along with OEMC and the Chicago Police Department.